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US Steel to resume steel production at Illinois plant shut 2 years ago

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Steel said it will resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois as demand rebounds. The company shut down the last blast furnace there in 2023, and it even moved to wind down its steel processing mill there in September. However, it reversed its stance on the processing mill, under pressure from the White House, and now says it is going a step further by resuming steel making by reopening the blast furnace it idled two years ago amid strikes by the United Auto Workers. U.S. Steel on Thursday cited “customer demand” in ...

Edmunds: Cadillac Optiq outperforms Audi Q4 E-tron

There are many luxury electric SUVs to choose from, but they are often out of reach financially for most buyers. This is especially true now that the $7,500 federal tax credit has been eliminated. But there are some options if you’re working with a modest luxury budget. Two of the most compelling are the Audi Q4 E-tron and Cadillac Optiq. Audi introduced its Q4 E-tron back for the 2022 model year. It’s a bit smaller than the brand’s gas-powered Q5 but is still plenty practical. It also receives some updates for 2025, including a new base version with increased range and power, as ...

Average long-term mortgage rate falls to 6.19%

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell again this week, slipping close to its low point so far this year. The decline brings the average long-term mortgage rate to 6.19% from 6.23% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.69%. This is the second straight weekly drop in the average rate after three straight increases. It’s now at the lowest level since Oct. 30, when it was at 6.17%, the lowest level in more than a year. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also ...

US filings for jobless benefits fall to 191,000, lowest since September 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in more than three years during Thanksgiving week, potentially complicating the Federal Reserve’s upcoming decision on interest rates. The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits for the week ending Nov. 29 fell to 191,000 from the previous week’s 218,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the lowest level since Sept. 24, 2022, when claims came in at 189,000. Analysts surveyed by the data provider FactSet had forecast initial claims of 221,000. Kathy Bostjancic, ...

Hiram cheese maker named in recall

There is a recall for more than 260,000 cases of shredded cheese sold in 31 states and Puerto Rico because of the potential for metal fragment contamination, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Ohio was not among the affected states, the FDA said. However, Pennsylvania was among the 31 states listed in the recall. The FDA said that the various shredded cheeses were recalled by Great Lakes Cheese Co., headquartered in Hiram. The cheese products are sold under private store-brand labels at several retailers, including Target, Walmart and Aldi. The recall includes ...

LIUNA Local 125 donates to food bank

The Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 125 presented a $4,100 donation Wednesday to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley. The union’s Business Manager Rich Troisi and Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Brown, joined by representatives from the Ohio Laborers’ Employers Cooperation and Education Trust, delivered the funds to the food bank’s headquarters at 2805 Salt Springs Road, Youngstown. Second Harvest Food Bank provides hunger relief across the Mahoning Valley, especially families facing economic hardship. LIUNA Local 125’s contribution will ...